GitHub Desktop for Linux
GitHub Desktop for Linux: the upstream 3.6.10 app, merged into a Linux build at every release. A
.deb for Ubuntu, Debian, Mint and Pop!_OS, and an AppImage for everything else.
sudo apt install ./GitHubDesktop-linux-amd64-3.6.10-linux1.debSHA-256 eab6b869b157ee361715d5b735f49d1a8e36040c68b29babd12fff27cef9e75e · .sha256 · install guide
chmod +x GitHubDesktop-linux-x86_64-3.6.10-linux1.AppImage
./GitHubDesktop-linux-x86_64-3.6.10-linux1.AppImageSHA-256 c4dfbaac111d4bd5288b7828319cff3673af6a1773a7c3c92bacd82b2f2bb68e · .sha256 · AppImage guide
Upstream nodes are stable GitHub Desktop releases. Green merges are versions this build has published. 23 upstream releases between 3.4.13 and 3.6.2 are collapsed.
Exactly the app you know. Now on Linux.
Every GitHub Desktop release. Built for Linux.
Every upstream release, merged.
A daily job checks upstream GitHub Desktop for new stable releases. Each one is merged, built and tested on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, then published as a .deb and an AppImage with checksums.
The upstream app
Built from GitHub Desktop's open-source desktop code, plus Linux packaging.
A real .deb
apt handles dependencies, the menu entry, upgrades and apt remove.
Sign in once
Your token is stored in GNOME Keyring or KeePassXC through the Secret Service API.
SHA-256 per file
Every download has its own .sha256 from the same CI run.
Install GitHub Desktop on your distro.
Each guide has copy-paste commands, a checksum check and the sign-in setup for that distribution.
shiftkey's branch stopped. This one keeps merging.
shiftkey/desktop carried Linux users for years and pioneered the approach this build follows. Its latest release is 3.4.13, from 9 February 2025. Here is the honest comparison.
- Current upstream, about 21 months of upstream releases newer
- .deb and AppImage, CI-tested on Ubuntu
- No .rpm
- No arm64
- Ships .rpm for Fedora and openSUSE
- Ships arm64 and armhf builds
- .deb and AppImage
- Upstream releases after 3.4.13 missing
What works on Linux, and the limits.
Cloning, committing, branching, pull requests and signing in to GitHub.com all work. Know these before you install:
- 64-bit x86_64 only. No ARM (arm64),
.rpm, Flatpak or Snap packages. - Needs glibc 2.34 or newer, so Ubuntu 20.04 and Debian 11 are not supported.
- No auto-update. Install each new version yourself;
aptupgrades the .deb in place. - Builds are not code-signed. Check the SHA-256 checksum instead.
- Sign-in needs a running, unlocked keyring, and GitHub's page shows the name of GitHub Desktop's development OAuth app.
GitHub Desktop for Linux questions.
Is GitHub Desktop available for Linux?
Not officially. GitHub publishes GitHub Desktop only for Windows and macOS. Because the app is open source (MIT), community builds exist for Linux. This site offers one that tracks upstream: GitHub Desktop 3.6.10 as a .deb package and an AppImage for 64-bit x86_64 Linux.
Is this an official GitHub build?
No. It is an unofficial build made from the open-source GitHub Desktop code, with Linux packaging added. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by GitHub, Inc. Report problems to the fork (github.com/yehudah/desktop), not to the official project.
Which Linux distributions are supported?
Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 12 are built and tested in CI. Distributions based on them, such as Linux Mint and Pop!_OS, use the same .deb. Other 64-bit distributions with glibc 2.34 or newer, such as Fedora and Arch Linux, can use the AppImage, but are not tested.
Is there an .rpm, Flatpak, Snap or AUR package?
No. This build ships only a .deb and an AppImage. On Fedora, openSUSE or Arch, use the AppImage. The GitHub Desktop packages in the AUR (github-desktop, github-desktop-bin and github-desktop-git) all package shiftkey/desktop, which stopped at 3.4.13 and 3.4.14.
Does it work on ARM (arm64) or Raspberry Pi?
No. Only 64-bit x86_64 (amd64) builds are produced. They will not run on ARM devices.